AUDI – A ‘GASTROMOTIVE’ EXPERIENCE
OVERVIEW
Human beings are sensory beings, our senses are how we connect with and internalise the world. Driving and dining are both a multisensory activity, which engages multiple senses at any one time. Each activity is guided by sensory touch points: the weight of a door or of cutlery, the visual beauty of a dish or of a car, the luxurious texture of leather on a car seat or of a dining chair. All these elements, and many more, make up our relative experience of driving and/or dining.
Therefore, it makes sense that when a progressive and premium car brand like Audi wants to engage further with those who are driving their beautiful machines, that experiential, immersive, sensory dining is the way forward. Our team at Kitchen Theory were commissioned to design and execute a series of dining experiences to offer Audi drivers exclusive sensory experiences.
THE CHALLENGE
Audi does not simply design an automobile with the sole intention of transporting you from A to B, it curates a driving experience. Like many of the most forward-thinking dining experiences around the world, our work at Kitchen Theory is not simply designing a menu to fulfil your human need to eat for survival, we curate food experiences that elevate the experience far beyond a meal.
THE DEVELOPMENT
The project has been designed unlike any other collaborative project developed between a chef and an automotive brand. This concept is not just a dining experience designed for Audi, this is an experience which has been designed based on Audi, using its values and core messages of progress, innovation, excitement, simplicity and charm. All of which we believe should be at the heart of any great dining experience. The goal was to immerse guests into the brand experience, educating them about the brand in the process. We started with the question; what would Audi look like if it were a restaurant? What would the menu, dishes and experience all look, sound, feel, smell and taste like?
The guest journey and 6 courses designed for this menu were inspired by a selection of our favourite Audi TV commercials, each commercial was screened ahead of the course it was linked with. The dishes, table projections, audio accompaniment, table dressing and so on, were themed to each course, immersing the guests further into the commercials and the underlying brand philosophies Audi wanted to educate their guests on.
THE EXECUTION
The experience was designed to be an offering as part of the Audi Presents programme. The recently launched programme designed to immerse loyal audi customers into the brand and reward customers for their loyalty. Over 6 weeks in 2019 audi had a takeover of the Kitchen Theory studios with lunches and dinners being served to 10 audi guests at a time. More on the event here: https://www.audi.co.uk/audi-update/audi-presents-kitchen-theory.html
THE RESULTS
Feedback received from Audi presents customers :
- 92% customers stated ‘It was great, I really enjoyed it’
- 8% stated ‘It was good, I’m glad I went’
- 96% of the guests stated the welcome they received at the event was ‘excellent’,
Some examples of the feedback received:
“…We thought the lunch presented by Kitchen theory was surprising in that it challenged one’s
perception and different senses not just the sense of taste. They cleverly married the short
advertising video clips demonstrating Audi’s innovation and advanced engineering to tasty dishes
which were apparently cooked in innovative ways and presented in a way which deceived the eye
but delighted the palate! And all done in a spirit of good humour. A real treat! Thank you.”
“……I thought the entire day was absolutely brilliant…”
“…it was perfect…”
“…it was very professionally organised and very informative. I couldn’t stop talking about
for days afterwards…”
“…it was a wonderful experience and great hospitality, couldn’t ask for anything more…’
“…the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Very professional and quite
pleasant…”
“…Kitchen Theory Studio was possibly the best dining experience I’ve ever had, and I’ve
eaten at many Michelin star restaurants! What I loved is that it is more than just a meal”“…full marks to Kitchen Theory people!”
“Everyone involved from start to finish was an absolute delight. Truly memorable and I will be
talking about it for a long time to come!”
“…It was exceptional…”
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QodeInteractiveDate:
January 20, 2022